What are polyunsaturated fats?
How do polyunsaturated fats affect my health?
Are polyunsaturated fats better for me than saturated fats or trans fats?
Which foods are high in polyunsaturated fats?
Are polyunsaturated fats lower in calories?
How much polyunsaturated fat should I eat in a day?
What are polyunsaturated fats?
From a chemical standpoint, polyunsaturated fats are simply fats that have more than one double-bonded (unsaturated) carbon in the molecule. Polyunsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature and when chilled.
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How do polyunsaturated fats affect my health?
Polyunsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on your health when consumed in moderation and when used to replace saturated fats or trans fats. Polyunsaturated fats can help reduce the cholesterol levels in your blood and lower your risk of heart disease.
They also include essential fats that your body needs but can’t produce itself – such as omega-6 and omega-3. You must get essential fats through food.
Omega-6 and omega-3 play a crucial role in brain function and in the normal growth and development of your body.
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Are polyunsaturated fats better for me than saturated fats or trans fats?
Yes. Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats can benefit your health, when eaten in moderation. The bad fats – saturated fats and trans fats – can negatively affect your health.
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Which foods are high in polyunsaturated fats?
Most foods contain a combination of fats. Foods high in polyunsaturated fat include a number of vegetable oils, including soybean oil, corn oil and safflower oil, as well as fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout. Other sources include some nuts and seeds such as walnuts and sunflower seeds.
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Are polyunsaturated fats lower in calories?
Polyunsaturated fats – like all fats – contain nine calories per gram. All fats are equally high in calories.
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How much polyunsaturated fat should I eat in a day?
The fats in the foods you eat should not total more than 25–35 percent of the total calories you eat that day and, for good health, the majority of those fats should be monounsaturated, polyunsaturated or both. Eat foods with monounsaturated fats and/or polyunsaturated fats instead of foods with high levels of saturated fat or trans fat. For practical tips, learn how to Live Fat-Sensibly.
Watch Poly in the Better Fats Sisters Webisode and meet all the Fats!
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Last update Jan. 2009
